Aero & Longhorn
A closer look
Friday, March 25, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: Aero
This seems to get tossed around quite a bit in terms of what Aero will require.
First off, Aero is the code-name for the user experience for Longhorn.
In Windows XP, we had "Luna" to describe the new user experience. It's a combination of the overall "look" of the OS along with basic usability details.
There are currently 4 different experiences planned depending on your hardware requirements. 3 of them are Aero-derivatives:
Level 1: Classic Windows. This is the same as Classic mode in Windows XP.
Level 2: Aero Express. This is akin to the Windows XP style. It'll be pretty basic but have the new general look and feel.
Level 3: Aero Glass. This will require a decent video card that supports DirectX 9. This will probably be the most common look we'll see with Longhorn initially.
Level 4: Aero "Diamond" (not sure if this will be the final name). This is the ultimate experience and you'll need a pretty good video card (i.e. 128 meg at least with very good LDDM drivers).
Any Longhorn-like skins you've seen so far would be, at best, close to Aero Express.
WinSuperSite has a screenshot of an Aero-Express look and feel showing off the new Explorer look. It's just a prototype but it gives an indication of where Microsoft may be going.
First off, Aero is the code-name for the user experience for Longhorn.
In Windows XP, we had "Luna" to describe the new user experience. It's a combination of the overall "look" of the OS along with basic usability details.
There are currently 4 different experiences planned depending on your hardware requirements. 3 of them are Aero-derivatives:
Level 1: Classic Windows. This is the same as Classic mode in Windows XP.
Level 2: Aero Express. This is akin to the Windows XP style. It'll be pretty basic but have the new general look and feel.
Level 3: Aero Glass. This will require a decent video card that supports DirectX 9. This will probably be the most common look we'll see with Longhorn initially.
Level 4: Aero "Diamond" (not sure if this will be the final name). This is the ultimate experience and you'll need a pretty good video card (i.e. 128 meg at least with very good LDDM drivers).
Any Longhorn-like skins you've seen so far would be, at best, close to Aero Express.
WinSuperSite has a screenshot of an Aero-Express look and feel showing off the new Explorer look. It's just a prototype but it gives an indication of where Microsoft may be going.
So Apple, What's Next?
Thursday, March 24, 2005 by geekinthecity | Discussion:
While Apple Computer's market share has been minuscule their role in the technology industry is not. It was Apple who brought computing power from the mainframe systems to the desktop. It was two guys named Steve who saw that there was a need and a desire for computers in homes, schools and small businesses. Computers were no longer limited to Governments, large corporations, and the military. Although the established manufacturers of mainframe systems such as IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Digital Equipment Corporation made huge shifts in the ways they did business to focus on desktop computers it wouldn't have happened the way it did if it wasn't for Apple.
Once desktop computers became mainstream due mostly to IBM and the thousands of startup companies producing clones of IBM's PC's, Apple set about making computers easy enough to use and bought forth the Macintosh. Even though the Macintosh was the first mass marketed graphical user interface, it was Microsoft who copied the idea and sold millions of copies of Windows that dominated desktop computers.
Towards the mid 1990's Apple brought forth another device that may not have dominated the market but definitely showed the way. In 1994 Apple introduced the Newton PDA. Even though the Newton could only find a small core of users the Newton PDA paved the way for other PDA's such as Palm that did go on to reach mass acceptance.
As the 1990's drew to an end, it was Apple computer who changed what computers looked like. Before Apple released the iMac, computers were almost always beige boxes that didn't offer much in the area of design. Now more than seven years after the original iMac hit the market even the most conservatively designed PC's are definitely not beige boxes.
After the iMac came Apple's first successful entry into consumer electronics, the iPod digital music player. At the time that the iPod was introduced there were portable MP3 players available on the market for several years but since then the iPod has become the digital music player that every other digital music player tries to emulate. Due mostly to Apple's own iTunes online music store. The songs purchased from iTunes will only play on the iPod which will not play songs purchased from other online music services.
While Apple Computer has really only reached a small niche of customers and has never even come close to market domination Apple computer has always been the trendsetter in the technology industry. Technology always seems to be about the 'The Next Big Thing' and many people look to Apple for some clue into what that next big thing is. It would be logical for Apple to continue down the path from computing into consumer electronics. It is rumored that the company that revolutionized how people record TV shows, TiVo is a possible merger target and that Apple would be a perfect suitor. A large screen G5 powered Mac with built in TiVo recorder with a CableCard slot would most certainly be the most formidable competition to PC's running Windows XP Media Center edition.
The Video on Demand offerings from cable companies are growing steadily, most VOD only offers the same movies that currently appear on Pay Per View. Apple has most certainly been successful with their iTunes Music Store. The next step in the path is video programming for sale available at any time to anyone with a broadband connection. An Apple online video store could start with Movies and recently aired TV shows and then offer everything right down to smallest independant feature and short films and even educational and instructional videos. One has to admit there's a lot of potential here.
As Apple as come up with new technological concepts which others have emulated with various degrees of success they have always played their hand close to their chest. It's always fun to speculate what Apple comes up with and amazing what they come up with.
Once desktop computers became mainstream due mostly to IBM and the thousands of startup companies producing clones of IBM's PC's, Apple set about making computers easy enough to use and bought forth the Macintosh. Even though the Macintosh was the first mass marketed graphical user interface, it was Microsoft who copied the idea and sold millions of copies of Windows that dominated desktop computers.
Towards the mid 1990's Apple brought forth another device that may not have dominated the market but definitely showed the way. In 1994 Apple introduced the Newton PDA. Even though the Newton could only find a small core of users the Newton PDA paved the way for other PDA's such as Palm that did go on to reach mass acceptance.
As the 1990's drew to an end, it was Apple computer who changed what computers looked like. Before Apple released the iMac, computers were almost always beige boxes that didn't offer much in the area of design. Now more than seven years after the original iMac hit the market even the most conservatively designed PC's are definitely not beige boxes.
After the iMac came Apple's first successful entry into consumer electronics, the iPod digital music player. At the time that the iPod was introduced there were portable MP3 players available on the market for several years but since then the iPod has become the digital music player that every other digital music player tries to emulate. Due mostly to Apple's own iTunes online music store. The songs purchased from iTunes will only play on the iPod which will not play songs purchased from other online music services.
While Apple Computer has really only reached a small niche of customers and has never even come close to market domination Apple computer has always been the trendsetter in the technology industry. Technology always seems to be about the 'The Next Big Thing' and many people look to Apple for some clue into what that next big thing is. It would be logical for Apple to continue down the path from computing into consumer electronics. It is rumored that the company that revolutionized how people record TV shows, TiVo is a possible merger target and that Apple would be a perfect suitor. A large screen G5 powered Mac with built in TiVo recorder with a CableCard slot would most certainly be the most formidable competition to PC's running Windows XP Media Center edition.
The Video on Demand offerings from cable companies are growing steadily, most VOD only offers the same movies that currently appear on Pay Per View. Apple has most certainly been successful with their iTunes Music Store. The next step in the path is video programming for sale available at any time to anyone with a broadband connection. An Apple online video store could start with Movies and recently aired TV shows and then offer everything right down to smallest independant feature and short films and even educational and instructional videos. One has to admit there's a lot of potential here.
As Apple as come up with new technological concepts which others have emulated with various degrees of success they have always played their hand close to their chest. It's always fun to speculate what Apple comes up with and amazing what they come up with.
DesktopX: Realizing its potential
-or- finally becoming useful
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 by BlueDev | Discussion: DesktopX
I have written in the past about my enjoyment in customizing my desktop. Some days I spend enough time tweaking things that I would call it a 'condition'. But I digress. It is sufficient to say I really like changing my desktop around and adjusting things to be just the way I want them to be.
For months now I have been reading about 'widgets' and how they are the next big thing in OS customization. To be honest, I didn't get it. They really did nothing for me. And it wasn't due to ignorance, trust me. I am a registered Object Desktop user, so I have had access to DesktopX for almost a year now (in addition to the many times I have tried the demo for longer than that), have used Kapsules, Konfabulator, AveDesk, dotWidget, and even @Zpod (no, I haven't tried Samurize yet). So I have given widgets and their respective applications a fair try.
I suppose it is the minimalist in me, but I don't like that much cluttering my desktop. So I was really excited a while back when Brad announced that DesktopX would have overlay keys (meaning that I hit F9 and all my widgets/objects jump to the front of my screen, hit F10 and they all vanish from my screen). This way I could have them there, ready to go, but not have to look at them all the time. But there was one problem: the widgets.
Stardock has taken a lot of heat on the quality of their widgets in recent times. I'm not going to go there, but that wasn't my problem. My problem was the widgets themselves. They just didn't do a lot for me. There were some fun ones, but nothing that was great enough for me to want it there all the time. And so I just didn't use them still. I love some of the media players as well, but I usually listen to my music either minimized or I want to be able to see the action (all my playlists/media library, etc) so just like skins for my media players, those did nothing for me. (Plus they don't work with my preferred media player, but that is another matter entirely).
As such, my interest in widgets has been low. Great widgets on each program, but nothing that really grabbed me (though Konfabulator looks very nice, but I didn't want to pay for another widget app when I wasn't even using the one I already had paid for!). So I cruised along, not using any of these widgets/objects/themes I had downloaded. I fired some up every now and then for fun, but not for regular use. Fickle.
Suddenly, DesktopX 3 was announced. I was intrigued by some of the things that were being written, but honestly was skeptical. Desktop X was always the one program in Object Desktop that I wanted to love, but just couldn't. So I was cautious. Of course, I updated to DX 3 as soon as it was available. But still I didn't really check it out. Woodbridge had released a great little Gmail checker widget, that I had used on (rare) occasion. Then it was updated with some of the features of DesktopX 3. I was intrigued.
I started playing around with the default 'Silica' widgets and was impressed with the look. Most of all I liked the picture frame. Very customizable, nicely sizable, it just seemed to work better than the previous picture frame/slide show widgets. Again I was intrigued.
Enter the master Tiggz. Two 'Omni" widgets that blew me away. Great looking, just like anything Tiggz does, but also unique (in the realm of Desktop X widgets) and useful. A mail checker that will check as many POP3, IMAP and Gmail accounts as I want (encrypting the passwords even), and a wall changer that looks great on the desktop and allows me to quickly change between whatever walls I have loaded in it. Intrigued now became excited.
Finally, ExodusCrow released a sweet folder info widget that is a breeze to customize with whatever font/images you want (in the screenshot below note how I have changed the images and font - and it took me all of a minute or two). Useful, cool looking and very well done, suddenly I had multiple reasons to use DesktopX. And while not a result of the release of DesktopX 3, I would be remiss were I not to mention ScottyK's WMP album art object. Long overdue (considering the glut of remote modules for iTunes that show album art), this very nicely displays a little CD case of the album you are listening to anywhere on your desktop. And while it is an object, it has worked flawlessly for me once exported as a widget.
And so, after months of wishing I felt some desire to take advantage of DesktopX but just never being excited about it, I suddenly find myself firing up these widgets daily. For this user at least, DesktopX is finally starting to realize its potential. Thanks to Stardock for making this valuable upgrade, and thanks to the community for releasing some killer widgets. I think I am liking this (check out my current desktop):
"
Links ARCHIVE: BetaNews.com - Internet Use Reaching Plateau
Saturday, March 19, 2005 by joeKnowledge | Discussion: Internet
SOURCE: BetaNews.com
By David Worthington, BetaNews March 18, 2005, 9:56 PM
Analysis of major Internet markets has revealed that the time netizens spend online at home has come close to hitting a plateau in many major markets. Nielsen//NetRatings, a syndicated rating system for Internet audience measurement, measured markets in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States and found them to be maturing. In contrast, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan experienced double-digit growth.
Nielsen//NetRatings concluded that mature markets are in wait of "the next big thing" whereas emerging markets were rife with opportunity for companies online. Some of the growth engines cited in the report is the proliferation of broadband and societal changes in media consumption.
"As the Internet has officially become an important...
For more, click on the link provided...
Report: Internet Usage Flattening
By David Worthington, BetaNews March 18, 2005, 9:56 PM
Analysis of major Internet markets has revealed that the time netizens spend online at home has come close to hitting a plateau in many major markets. Nielsen//NetRatings, a syndicated rating system for Internet audience measurement, measured markets in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States and found them to be maturing. In contrast, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan experienced double-digit growth.
Nielsen//NetRatings concluded that mature markets are in wait of "the next big thing" whereas emerging markets were rife with opportunity for companies online. Some of the growth engines cited in the report is the proliferation of broadband and societal changes in media consumption.
"As the Internet has officially become an important...
For more, click on the link provided...
Interview with Unsanity developer Brian Wilson
Makers of ShapeShifter, the WindowBlinds of OSX
Friday, March 18, 2005 by mrbiotech | Discussion: OS Customization
Yup, you can skin Macs, and yes, there are software tools to do it. ShapeShifter http://unsanity.com/haxies/shapeshifter by Unsanity LLC http://www.unsanity.com is a commercial program that enables skinning of the OSX environment, similar to what WindowBlinds does for Windows. Developer Brian Wilson was recently interviewed at skinyourscreen.com http://www.skinyourscreen.com>skinyourscreen.com regarding the Konfabulator/Dashboard issue, the recent press Apple has been receiving due to iPod and Mini sales, as well as their future goals.
Here's the link to the interview: http://www.skinyourscreen.com/server/content.php?article.28
Here's the link to the interview: http://www.skinyourscreen.com/server/content.php?article.28
Is it time for Stardock to hire a PR firm?
Friday, March 18, 2005 by MSethWeisberg | Discussion: OS Customization
For those that know me and those that don't I have been a loyal user of windowblinds since the 2.x days and iconpackager since 1.x. I finally decided to buy a subscription to object desktop a little less then a year ago and it was a great move. I love using desktopX, right click, and enhanced dialogs. To say the least I like the software you put out and I have found myself defending those software titles on more then one forum over the last few months.
And yet I can't figure out why that is? The prices are not expensive, for the most part they work as advertised, most programs have small memory footprints, and small installation sizes so I don't see what the problem is. And yet on a lot of customization forums Stardock continues to get bad press with the exception of WC.com.
For the record I am not a graphic artist nor have I ever created a skin but I love customizing XP and I am active in many forums including DA, Neowin, WC, A-S, Aerosoft, etc..and I continually find myself having to defend my passion for the software and in the process acting like a troll.
This has to end, it can't be good for the company and it surely can't be good for its members to continually have to defend why they use it. I say that some money should be set aside to the development of a PR position within the company to promote the software and rid itself of the negative attitudes that a lot of 'skinners' seem to have developed toward Stardock.
Your opinions please.......
And yet I can't figure out why that is? The prices are not expensive, for the most part they work as advertised, most programs have small memory footprints, and small installation sizes so I don't see what the problem is. And yet on a lot of customization forums Stardock continues to get bad press with the exception of WC.com.
For the record I am not a graphic artist nor have I ever created a skin but I love customizing XP and I am active in many forums including DA, Neowin, WC, A-S, Aerosoft, etc..and I continually find myself having to defend my passion for the software and in the process acting like a troll.
This has to end, it can't be good for the company and it surely can't be good for its members to continually have to defend why they use it. I say that some money should be set aside to the development of a PR position within the company to promote the software and rid itself of the negative attitudes that a lot of 'skinners' seem to have developed toward Stardock.
Your opinions please.......
Icon-A-Day, Icon # 73, Log Off
The Last of the "Start" Symbols
Wednesday, March 16, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 73 (Log Off) Once more my poor Icon-A-Day project is late, for this I firmly blame Charter Internet. Luckily I still have my work Internet. Today we are finishing up the last of the "Start" symbols, and taking care of "Log Off". This one is once more almost identical with the other start symbols in the way it is made. One thing to note with the last five icons, is that they are all almost exactly the same in construction, yet all have their own style. This is a good example of how a good technique can be used on different base graphics over and over and still look good. In theory you could do an entire icon pack with just this one tutorial, and have something pretty cool, if not perfect. | ||
| Step 1: Once again we start with our glass background box and change the colors to blue. .jpg) |
Step 2: Now I make a little key with some rectangles and squares welded together. .jpg) |
Step 3: Now we give the key some perspective, tweeting it until it looks natural. .jpg) |
| Step 4:
Now I use the Contour tool to give the key a "poor mans bevel" |
Step 5:
Now with the Contour tool I give the key an inner contour to give it the appearance of depth. |
Step 6: Now we give the key a standard Corel Drop Shadow. .jpg) |
| Step 7: Last we give the new icon a standard Reflection. .jpg) |
|
SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. |
|
Tomorrow, assuming I have Internet as I have been promised, we will try and get back to the folder icons and start wrapping up that section of the Icon Package. | ||
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DX3 - The Overhaul: An Independent Perspective
=n00bish(|33t_gfx)
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 by azdruid | Discussion: DesktopX
the n00b sentence: DesktopX is software made by Stardock that creates a content layer on the desktop, allowing one to display cool graphics/animations and all sorts of interactive stuff. It's neat. I heartily recommend it.
All right! DesktopX 3 is out and now WE have a nice shiny press release to stick in Konfabulator's face. So, what's new, why should you care, blah blah corporate speak
To begin, I have used DesktopX since version 1. It was really, really neat. Problem was, all the content for it consisted mainly of animated objects that did one thing and were on the whole ugly. It was like Linux: massive potential but no means to exploit it. Plus, the button-filled interface made noobs run away in terror. Bah. They weren't the target audience anyway.
Right, so then Alberto Riccio (the deity behind DX) began work on DesktopX 2. The beta, which I ran, broke tons of stuff and had even more buttons. I eventually reverted back to the stable build, as it is. I could wait. When DX2 was deemed fit-for-consumption, SD released it. Suddenly, the community began hearing whispers of this "uberkool!" new feature called widgets. So, apparently someone thought that hey! Its not enough to run DesktopX.exe - lets run EACH OBJECT in separate memory space! In my own humble opinion, my friends, I never cottoned on the the widget crowd. It seemed pointless, because there was really no reason why I would install DesktopX if not to actively use it. Plus, I like tweaking the hell out of every object I possess without a 5-step import process.
The Widget Wars have since escalated, and symbolify the gradual acceptance of OS Customization by the commoner fools. Granted, widgets were easier, but only for those who felt that a light system was 50 processes. The app of Mac origin, Konfabulator, has recieved a lot of press from pretty much everyone in the last year, due to Apple's ass-raping them and the creation of a Windows version (which was slow and weak). Now there are multiple contestants in the Widget Arena(tm) like Kapsules and AveDesk. Oddly enough, DesktopX remained overshadowed, ironically, by these lesser programs. Our King and benefactor Brad realized that hey! Most people are confused by any more than two buttons displayed in a dialog at once. And so, the simplification of DesktopX began.
To me, the announcement of DX3 came out of nowhere. I expected the 2.x line to last a lot longer. In any case, the big changes in DX3 are as (to the best of my memory) as follows:
- 3part UI. Runtime, Builder, Widget Manager Thingy
- Plugins (gee! thats not a NEW feature)
- Mormegil's beautiful graphics. Long overdue.
- 150% more widgety goodness and configuration
- DX Pro is now only $70. Sweet.
Wait a moment, you say. WTF is DX Pro? Please tell me ATI is not in control of the naming scheme.
Fear not my young inexperienced friend, would be my response, for the shiny, expensive version of DesktopX possesses the magic key to which people like us can make good-looking standalone applications very, very easily. Visual Basic be damned. And so it was to be. Have a look at the DX Welcome widget. It is IMPOSSIBLE to do that in VB. Mormegil probably did it in 5 minutes.
But DesktopX 3. Yes. Well, it comes with a nice assortment of widgets (gahh) that look really pretty and can outperform Konfabulator's offerings out of the box. I think that was one of SD's key goals with DX3 - make it be useful as soon as its loaded. In any case, yes, out-of-the-box-awesomeness is fulfilled. I'd like to see even more, but hey, that's because I'm picky. Where is KClock? KClock kicks ass.
The truth and rec---I mean the division and consolidation of DesktopX was done quite well, even though I hate its guts. See, I actually liked having all the bells in whistles in ONE panel, so I didn't have to manage three executables to build and test content. Making software is always a balanced equation: you want to stuff enough features in to make it viable, but on the same time, you need to make the interface usable enough and refrain from button madness. The DX3 interface is the extreme opposite of The GIMP's. The core component, DesktopX.exe, provides just enough buttons to get stuff onto your desktop. How terribly fascinating! It's Konfabulator! To do anything particularly productive, one must turn to the DesktopX Builder, which has an interface more reminiscent of the good old days.
To sum up this jumbled mass of words:
- DesktopX 3 is cool. Shut up and download it.
- If you are a n00b, be happy.
- If you are a power user, you will have to cope because the other new features are worth it.
- If you are Alberto Riccio, pat yourself on the back and have a beer.
The ol' double-edged blade in DesktopX is of course how ridiculously easy it is to create stuff for it. It was what originally attracted me. It is of the most trivial matter to draw a square in Fireworks and have a nice square on your Desktop that opens Firefox or whatever. Upside? You can do Whatever you want! Dont wait for someone else to do it, dream it up yourself. Downside? I don't want a square to launch Firefox, and probably 99% of visitors to the DesktopX library on WC don't ether. So, guys, moderate your own content before you upload it. It saves time for everyone.
Just one other quick note that is completely irrelevant to DesktopX 3 but has implications for the program overall, is its shelf life. Stardock needs to (and does) make it very, very clear what DesktopX is capable of. Fancy animations may satisfy the dull-witted co-worker but not the rest of the world. I originally used DesktopX to create bars for launching oft-used programs easier. That task has since been delegated to ObjectDock Plus. A year ago I had 50 DX objects at one point in time. Now I have 2 objects, and four ObjectDock Plus bars because the ODP framework makes for a much nicer and easier launchbar. So, just be aware, that as more specifically designed applications focus on smaller points to compete with DX, DesktopX needs to evolve as well. So far it's doing a wonderful job.
Download it. Now.
All right! DesktopX 3 is out and now WE have a nice shiny press release to stick in Konfabulator's face. So, what's new, why should you care, blah blah corporate speak
To begin, I have used DesktopX since version 1. It was really, really neat. Problem was, all the content for it consisted mainly of animated objects that did one thing and were on the whole ugly. It was like Linux: massive potential but no means to exploit it. Plus, the button-filled interface made noobs run away in terror. Bah. They weren't the target audience anyway.
Right, so then Alberto Riccio (the deity behind DX) began work on DesktopX 2. The beta, which I ran, broke tons of stuff and had even more buttons. I eventually reverted back to the stable build, as it is. I could wait. When DX2 was deemed fit-for-consumption, SD released it. Suddenly, the community began hearing whispers of this "uberkool!" new feature called widgets. So, apparently someone thought that hey! Its not enough to run DesktopX.exe - lets run EACH OBJECT in separate memory space! In my own humble opinion, my friends, I never cottoned on the the widget crowd. It seemed pointless, because there was really no reason why I would install DesktopX if not to actively use it. Plus, I like tweaking the hell out of every object I possess without a 5-step import process.
The Widget Wars have since escalated, and symbolify the gradual acceptance of OS Customization by the commoner fools. Granted, widgets were easier, but only for those who felt that a light system was 50 processes. The app of Mac origin, Konfabulator, has recieved a lot of press from pretty much everyone in the last year, due to Apple's ass-raping them and the creation of a Windows version (which was slow and weak). Now there are multiple contestants in the Widget Arena(tm) like Kapsules and AveDesk. Oddly enough, DesktopX remained overshadowed, ironically, by these lesser programs. Our King and benefactor Brad realized that hey! Most people are confused by any more than two buttons displayed in a dialog at once. And so, the simplification of DesktopX began.
To me, the announcement of DX3 came out of nowhere. I expected the 2.x line to last a lot longer. In any case, the big changes in DX3 are as (to the best of my memory) as follows:
- 3part UI. Runtime, Builder, Widget Manager Thingy
- Plugins (gee! thats not a NEW feature)
- Mormegil's beautiful graphics. Long overdue.
- 150% more widgety goodness and configuration
- DX Pro is now only $70. Sweet.
Wait a moment, you say. WTF is DX Pro? Please tell me ATI is not in control of the naming scheme.
Fear not my young inexperienced friend, would be my response, for the shiny, expensive version of DesktopX possesses the magic key to which people like us can make good-looking standalone applications very, very easily. Visual Basic be damned. And so it was to be. Have a look at the DX Welcome widget. It is IMPOSSIBLE to do that in VB. Mormegil probably did it in 5 minutes.
But DesktopX 3. Yes. Well, it comes with a nice assortment of widgets (gahh) that look really pretty and can outperform Konfabulator's offerings out of the box. I think that was one of SD's key goals with DX3 - make it be useful as soon as its loaded. In any case, yes, out-of-the-box-awesomeness is fulfilled. I'd like to see even more, but hey, that's because I'm picky. Where is KClock? KClock kicks ass.
The truth and rec---I mean the division and consolidation of DesktopX was done quite well, even though I hate its guts. See, I actually liked having all the bells in whistles in ONE panel, so I didn't have to manage three executables to build and test content. Making software is always a balanced equation: you want to stuff enough features in to make it viable, but on the same time, you need to make the interface usable enough and refrain from button madness. The DX3 interface is the extreme opposite of The GIMP's. The core component, DesktopX.exe, provides just enough buttons to get stuff onto your desktop. How terribly fascinating! It's Konfabulator! To do anything particularly productive, one must turn to the DesktopX Builder, which has an interface more reminiscent of the good old days.
To sum up this jumbled mass of words:
- DesktopX 3 is cool. Shut up and download it.
- If you are a n00b, be happy.
- If you are a power user, you will have to cope because the other new features are worth it.
- If you are Alberto Riccio, pat yourself on the back and have a beer.
The ol' double-edged blade in DesktopX is of course how ridiculously easy it is to create stuff for it. It was what originally attracted me. It is of the most trivial matter to draw a square in Fireworks and have a nice square on your Desktop that opens Firefox or whatever. Upside? You can do Whatever you want! Dont wait for someone else to do it, dream it up yourself. Downside? I don't want a square to launch Firefox, and probably 99% of visitors to the DesktopX library on WC don't ether. So, guys, moderate your own content before you upload it. It saves time for everyone.
Just one other quick note that is completely irrelevant to DesktopX 3 but has implications for the program overall, is its shelf life. Stardock needs to (and does) make it very, very clear what DesktopX is capable of. Fancy animations may satisfy the dull-witted co-worker but not the rest of the world. I originally used DesktopX to create bars for launching oft-used programs easier. That task has since been delegated to ObjectDock Plus. A year ago I had 50 DX objects at one point in time. Now I have 2 objects, and four ObjectDock Plus bars because the ODP framework makes for a much nicer and easier launchbar. So, just be aware, that as more specifically designed applications focus on smaller points to compete with DX, DesktopX needs to evolve as well. So far it's doing a wonderful job.
Download it. Now.
Icon-A-Day, Icon # 72, Shutdown
Life sucks without internet access.
Monday, March 14, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 72
(Shutdown) Tonight we will do almost exactly the same as yesterday, but with different graphics. This is a good example of how you can re-use the same techniques and get good results with very simple changes. | ||
| Step 1: First things first, we copy the Suspend icon and delete the moon. I also change the background to Black and Red. .jpg) |
Step 2: Once again I use a few circles and a rectangle to create a "Power" symbol. .jpg) |
Step 3: Now just like yesterday we use the Perspective tool, give our Power Symbol a bit of perspective. I also use the Contour tool to give the moon a "poor mans bevel" .jpg) |
| Step 4: Now with the Contour tool I give the Power symbol an inner contour to give it the appearance of depth. We also give the moon a nice bit of gloss. .jpg) |
Step 5: Now we give the symbol, including its bevel, a standard drop shadow, dropping it pretty much straight out to the left. |
Step 6: As it seems to almost always be our last step, we give the new icon a new Reflection. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Design. .jpg) |
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Tomorrow we will wrap
up this little set of "Start" icons with the Log Off icon, check back in then.
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SS.jpg){kind=icon}
Mozilla Foundation ends Suite development
Monday, March 14, 2005 by geekinthecity | Discussion: Personal Computing
Just over a year ago, I defected from Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Outlook Express when I switched to Mozilla Suite a web broswer, e-mail client and web page editor all in one program. When I found that I could surf the web without being deluged with pop-up ads I was hooked. I was slow to embrace tabbed browsing at first but once I found how useful it is I will not surf the web without it. I found the e-mail client built into the Mozilla suite was far more capable that anything that Outlook Express had to offer. The single that stands out is the adaptive spam filter. I just told the spam filter what e-mails were spam and then after that spam e-mails were tossed away automatically.
The Mozilla foundation has released separate web browser (the wildly successful Firefox) and e-mail client (Thunderbird). I have found that I love the tight integration of web browser and the e-mail client. Open just one program for both web surfing and e-mailing. There are features found in both the web browser inside the Mozilla suite and Firefox that are just a lot more well executed in the Suite. One of these is the cookie manager. In Mozilla suite the cookie manager is found right in the tools menu while in Firefox the cookie manager in found in preferences under privacy.
It was with some shock and sadness that I learned that the Mozilla Foundation is ending development of the suite. There won't have any more new versions the program that has made the web and e-mail so much safer and enjoyable. Although news development on Mozilla Suite will be ending soon the Mozilla Foundation says there will be bug fixes and security updates for the forseeable future. Don't get me wrong, Firefox is a great browser however it just needs to mature before I switch. I don't doubt that when all support for Mozilla suite comes to an end and I have to switch I can tell you for sure it I won't be going back to Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The Mozilla foundation has released separate web browser (the wildly successful Firefox) and e-mail client (Thunderbird). I have found that I love the tight integration of web browser and the e-mail client. Open just one program for both web surfing and e-mailing. There are features found in both the web browser inside the Mozilla suite and Firefox that are just a lot more well executed in the Suite. One of these is the cookie manager. In Mozilla suite the cookie manager is found right in the tools menu while in Firefox the cookie manager in found in preferences under privacy.
It was with some shock and sadness that I learned that the Mozilla Foundation is ending development of the suite. There won't have any more new versions the program that has made the web and e-mail so much safer and enjoyable. Although news development on Mozilla Suite will be ending soon the Mozilla Foundation says there will be bug fixes and security updates for the forseeable future. Don't get me wrong, Firefox is a great browser however it just needs to mature before I switch. I don't doubt that when all support for Mozilla suite comes to an end and I have to switch I can tell you for sure it I won't be going back to Microsoft Internet Explorer.